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Phantom Creeps, The
Category:Films | directed by = Ford Beebe | written by = George Plympton; Basil Dickey; Mildred Barish; Willis Cooper | produced by = Henry MacRae Henry MacRae is an associate producer on this film. | music by = Charles Previn | cinematography = Jerry Ash; William Sickner | edited by = Irving Birnbaum; Joseph Glick; Alvin Todd | distributed by = Universal Pictures | release date(s) = October 17th, 1939 | mpaa rating = | running time = 265 min. Combined total for all twelve installments. | country = | language = English | budget = | gross revenue = | preceded by = | followed by = }} The Phantom Creeps is an American film serial produced by Universal Pictures. It was co-directed by Ford Beebe and Saul A. Goodkind and spanned twelve chapters, which began being screened in theaters on October 17th, 1939. The script was written by George Plympton, Basil Dickey and Mildred Barish based on a story concept by Willis Cooper. The film serial incorporates elements of science fiction, but also includes tropes of the spy & action genres. The Phantom Creeps stars Bela Lugosi as Doctor Alex Zorka, Robert Kent as Captain Robert "Bob" West, Dorothy Arnold as Jean Drew, Edwin Stanley ad Doctor Fred Mallory, Regis Toomey as Lieutenant Jim Daly, and Jack C. Smith as Monk. These are the only cast members to appear in all twelve chapters. Other notable actors include Edward Van Sloan, Dora Clemant, Anthony Averill and Hugh Huntley. Plot Cast Notes * The Phantom Creeps, The Phantom Creeps (1939), and Phantom Creeps, The (1939) all redirect to this page. * The Phantom Creeps was filmed at Universal Studios in Universal City, California. IMDB; The Phantom Creeps (1939); Filming locations. * Concept writer Wyllis Cooper is credited as Willis Cooper in this serial. * Screenplay writer George H. Plympton is credited as George Plympton in this serial. * Director of photography Jerome Ash is credited as Jerry Ash in this serial. * Photographer William A. Sickner is credited as William Sickner in this serial. * Film editor Joseph Gluck's name is mis-spelled as Joseph Glick in the credits. * Actress Dora Clement is credited as Dora Clemant in this serial. * Actor Jim Farley is credited as James Farley in this serial. * Actor Ed Wolff is credited as Edward Wolff in this serial. * Composer Charles Previn is uncredited for his participation in this film serial. * All twelve episodes of The Phantom Creeps were edited into a single television movie, which was produced in 1949. Appearances * Bela Lugosi appears in chapters 1-12. * Robert Kent appears in chapters 1-12. * Dorothy Arnold appears in chapters 1-12. * Edwin Stanley appears in chapters 1-12. * Regis Toomey appears in chapters 1-12. * Jack C. Smith appears in chapters 1-12. * Edward Van Sloan appears in chapters 2-12. * Dora Clemant appears in chapters 1-2. * Anthony Averill appears in chapters 2-12. * Hugh Huntley appears in chapters 2-12. * Monte Vandergrift appears in chapter 5. * Frank Mayo appears in chapter 6. * James Farley appears in chapter 9. * Eddie Acuff appears in chapters 2-12. * Reed Howes appears in chapter 10. Fun Facts * The tagline for this film is, "Crashing...smashing...dashing through 12 spine-shivering chapters!", as well as, "Sinister scientists... foreign spies... federal agents... and a pretty girl... crashing through amazing adventures!". * The Phantom Creeps is the 112th serial released by Universal Pictures. * This film is the 44th Universal Pictures serial to have sound. * Actor Bela Lugosi is best known for his portrayal of the infamous vampire lord, Dracula, as immortalized in the 1931 Universal Pictures classic, Dracula. * The initial three chapterss of this serial were lampooned during the second season of the television comedy spoof series Mystery Science Theater 3000. * The imagery of Murray the Robot from Rob Zombie's animated comedy film The Haunted World of El Superbeasto is based on the robot featured in The Phantom Creeps. External Links * * * The Phantom Creeps at Wikipedia * * References ---- Category:1930s/Films Category:1939/Films Category:Black and white films Category:Theatrically released films Category:Universal Pictures Category:Serials Category:P/Films Category:Films with crew categories